The syllabus review is necessary to develop an understanding and correlate the

efforts with results and identify areas that need attention. A critical, objective

and exhaustive review, when school is not in session, alone can provide an

opportunity for teachers and departments to critically review designs, strategies,

goals & objectives and overall learning opportunity it provided for the students.

It also lays foundation for new designs and alternative strategies and routes to

learning.

It is thus important that teachers and departments understand that this is

their opportunity of critical appraisal, not of individuals but of the systems,

structures, processes and practices. The teachers may be reassured that

academic supervisors understand and appreciate that as in all situations,

mistakes are inevitable, but they must always be recognized and addressed.

This appraisal shall not be used for any personal rewards or consequences for

or against any member of the faculty and shall be used exclusively for the

school improvement program with a view to improve school effectiveness.

Design

Objectives, state objectives

Declarative & procedural knowledge; skills building, if any. Give details

What will the students know and be able to do?

Units Plans

Covered, extent and depth; discuss adequacy with reasons;

Deviations from the planned syllabus, if any. Discuss why?

What were the lessons learnt?

How do you intend to incorporate these in the next syllabus & unit plans?

Transaction

Classroom management; check parameters

Teacher effectiveness; lesson plans; creation & delivery?

Use of multimedia, presentations?

Student participation?

Innovations?

Activities, visits or any other non conventional methods that create links

between students. prior understanding and new knowledge

Extend the learning environment beyond the class room to include the

media center, computer lab, community service, Worksheets etc..?

Create a classroom atmosphere that fosters students using each other as

sources of knowledge, listening to, and showing respect for others.

contributions

Skill building / Procedural Knowledge

State skills sought to be built

Results achieved

How measured?

Achievements, failings?

Lessons learnt?

Declarative Knowledge

Information base sought to be created

Results achieved

How measured?

Achievements, failings?

Lessons learnt?

Resources

Departmental infrastructure and classroom makeup; does it conform and

contribute to subject learning and create the desirable ambience

Time; was enough time available for meeting departmental goals and

student practice?

Text: books prescribed; check if appropriate, changes suggested for the

following year

Reference books recommended for the library; why? Department to

unanimously agree on text and reference books and any other multimedia

or video or visual resources.

Digital: any websites, videos, multimedia presentations or any other

digital resource

Homework

How often given? How checked?

Quality of compliance?

Alternative strategies?

Student achievement

State class achievements; (see format; >80, >60, >50, >40, <39, compare

with previous year of the same class;

Reasons for underachievement. Identify areas of weakness. (e.g. writing,

reading, listening comprehension, or speaking in case of English)

Remedial interventions

Discuss structure of remedials. What was the criterion for referring

students for the remedial interventions? How many participated? How well

was it received? How benchmarked? Results? Improvements recorded in

case of each child.

Mistakes, inadequacies, achievements of the previous year. How would

you incorporate these in the design, structure and transaction in the

coming year?

Assessments

Assessment models?

Formal & Informal

Discuss frequency, methodology, unit tests

Check progression of the class averages, or group averages

Efficacy of the assessment models

Changes for the following year?

Opportunities for students to summarize/reflect on what they have

learned and extend their thinking

Conclusions

What will the students know and be able to do?

Critical analysis and evaluation

Recommendations

Action plan

Vishal Jain